“I’m trying to make myself look presentable!” she called back. A few minutes later she came out, and Claudio jumped from his seat. Canna looked exquisite. The full length white gown clung to her figure and had delicate white lace sleeves, to keep her warm and cover most of her tattoos. She had swept her hair back from her face, and her makeup was soft and natural. “I don’t recognise you without the heavy eyeliner and black lipstick,” Claudio joked.
“Is that a problem?”
“You have never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”
Canna’s smile sparkled like the jewels encrusted on the tight bodice of the dress. She spun on the spot. “I don’t have a bouquet!”
“Do you want one?”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.”
“I hope you didn’t want a ring because I don’t exactly have any diamonds in stock.”
“And you never wore a ring when you were married to Veena.”
“I would wear one if you wanted.”
Canna just shrugged.
“Are you sure you want this, Blinky? To stand in front of the judge and say the legal requirements and sign papers? It’s not a wedding. It’s not a reflection of our relationship.”
“I want to be married, but I don’t need a wedding to do that.”
“Still, people have a blessing ceremony as well as go through the requirements.”
“Are you getting cold feet?”
“No!” Claudio cried. “No, not all. I’m just making sure you’re happy.”
“If we want to get all mushy and want to have a wedding party with our friends, we can do that whenever we feel like it. I want to make the actual commitment to you today. I’m here, in a wedding dress, wanting to get hitched.”
“Okay, but we need to make one stop first.”
The staff were still setting up for the day when the bride and groom strode into the jewellery store. The humour of the whole event continued when they gave one another five minutes to pick a ring. For Canna it was easy, a striking platinum band for Claudio, but he had more confusion on his hands. Then it appeared; the perfect wedding ring for Canna, a ruby so dark it was almost black. On her hand, it seemed devilishly dark, but holding to the light gave it the colour of blood. Faultless for the occasion, if not the exact opposite of her cheap plastic Mickey Mouse watch, which hid under a layer of lace. The kind gesture involved in the giving of the toy watch had to be part of their wedding day.
~~~
“Translated and notarised birth certificates?”
“Check.”
“Passport and four photocopies?”
“Check.”
“Paperwork for the Certificate of Marital Status?”
“Check.”
“Certificate of No Impediment to Marry.”
“Check.” Claudio watched impressed as Canna pulled each item of paperwork for Bartolo, the staff member at the Registro Civil desk.
“Divorce decrees?”
“Check.”
“Spanish Town Hall Registration Certificate?”
Canna smiled at Bartolo behind the desk, and he returned it. “Yes, I have someone putting one together for you.”
“Good,” Claudio replied. “I thought we were screwed for a moment.”
“Do you have your form to be filed at the police station, since you’re a foreigner?” Bartolo asked Canna.
“Yes. My lawyer took care of that before I arrived.”
“Three copies of the application form?”
“Check.” Canna slapped the papers on the desk.
“Good. I will have my assistant tidy all this up and you can have the ceremony completed. Then come back, collect the papers and you will be married.”
“Thank you,” Claudio said. “I realise this isn’t how it’s meant to be done.”
“For friends, anything can be arranged,” Bartolo said.
Friends – and cash.
“Last time I got married, we had to schedule an interview before it could go ahead,” Claudio commented.
“Shh, don’t question the cheating process of getting a marriage licence,” Canna whispered.
Bartolo grinned at the bride. “We are aware of your time constraints. A little flexibility is needed.”
Never, ever in Claudio’s life had there been any flexibility in any Spanish process that required paperwork. He wondered how much Canna had bribed this guy. It didn’t matter; all that mattered was that their marriage would be legal today.
“Right,” Bartolo said. “You need a few minutes to get this done with the judge. Ready?”
~~~
Even though it was a mild afternoon in Madrid, Canna still needed to cuddle up to her new husband to keep warm. They sat together under a tree under El Retiro park, the warm sun shining down on the quiet windless day. Claudio leaned against the trunk of the tree with his legs out and Canna sat on his lap, her head on his shoulder.
“I’m certain this is the best wedding day ever,” Canna commented. She held up her hand to look at her ring again.
“Beautiful girl, beautiful day, no stress. I agree with you.”
“We dressed up, got rings, signed the marriage licence, and had wedding photos taken. We’ve done well for only minimum planning.”
“Minimal? I only knew about his last night. That’s no planning.”
“The wedding photographer loved it here in the park. No pushy relatives or wedding parties. Just us.”
“And now I can sit with my bride in the park and do nothing.”
“The only thing that would make it better was if we could have had champagne with lunch. But no, I had to ruin it with addiction problems.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not going to drink in your company, to support you.”
“It might not be such a big deal one day, but now, I need that.”
“You’re going to be okay, Canna.”
Canna glanced up at her husband. “Yeah, I believe you this time.”
“Why now?”
“Why not?”
“Fair enough.”
“I have never been more happy than I am right now.” Canna watched Claudio grin in reply and had to give him another long lingering kiss.
“I was ready to shake you yesterday, and now I’m here, married to you and happier than ever.”
“Anger is ugly. It’s not worth the effort. It’s exhausting to be angry all the time.”
“You would know.”
Canna laughed. “Yeah, I would.”
“Pity we can’t just stay in Madrid forever.”
“All we do in Madrid is have sex.”
“Exactly.”
Canna sat up straight and looked Claudio in the eye. “It’s time for us to go back to the apartment.”
Claudio pulled Canna against him for another kiss. All afternoon they had kissed in the park and weren’t sick of it. Every kiss felt searing hot between them.
“Do you think many people have sex here?” Canna asked as she undid the top button of Claudio’s shirt.
“I’m sure they do,” he chuckled as she tickled him just below his neck. “But it’s mid-afternoon and the park is filled with school-groups and tourists.”
Canna hitched her dress up so she could part her legs and sit over his hips. She barely noticed the cold ground against her bare skin. “That’s a shame,” she said and ran her hand down to his belt and tucked her fingertips in his pants. “It would be so fun to consummate our marriage right here.”
Claudio held her hips tight in his hands as she kissed him again. Canna could stir erotic machinations in him without doing anything naughty. Her kiss combined with her teasing voice and erotic intentions were enough to create a tingle that would make it hard to walk home.
“Not here, my darling.”
Canna pouted. “You know, I could be mad at you for ignoring my pleas for help when I was Aosta. I could be mad at you for kissing your brother’s girlfriend, but I’m not. So shouldn’t you be busy making me happy?”
&
nbsp; “I thought you were happy?”
“Happier, then. Even the bleakest scenario can be made easier with a few pleasurable orgasms.”
“Was last night not enough?”
“I want to make love to my husband, Claudio Ramos Ibáñez.”
“Isn’t it custom, where you’re from, to change your surnames after marriage? Can I call you Catherine Ramos?”
“Depends… does it turn you on?”
“Everything you do turns me on, Blinky.”
“Yeah, that’s obvious.”
They had already torn off half their clothing before they got in the front door of the apartment. Fortunately the hallway from the elevator had been empty. The apartment had a trail of clothes and shoes from the front door to the bedroom. They fell into bed in a fit of laughter, extinguished by intense, passionate kissing. No more teasing needed, no more games to play. They made powerful spirited love on top of the unmade bed, no interest that the curtains were open. The whole world could go to hell. Canna made sure Claudio looked her in the eye as he came inside her, as she always did. She cried out his name as her orgasm coursed through her and loved Claudio’s expression while she did it. Canna groaned with every movement he made inside her, not just because it felt incredible, but because it stroked Claudio’s ego as well as his appetite for her body.
It was much easier to lie together and talk while naked and satisfied. Canna lay across the bed with her arms above her head. She shut her eyes and felt Claudio lick one of her nipples. She giggled at the tickling sensation, and he laughed as he kept teasing.
“I have to back to Milan,” she sighed.
“No. You can’t say that today.”
“But it’s true.”
“You can’t leave one day after marrying me.”
Canna opened her eyes but just gazed at the ceiling. “I need to go back to Italy, sort all this shit out, and then we can go on our honeymoon.”
Claudio inched up and brushed his lips against her neck. “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”
“We are taking a boat sailing.”
“We are?”
Canna moved her head to look Claudio in the eye. “I arranged to take Vincitore down to do the Sydney Hobart race on behalf of Adam, my Russian client. He pulled out…”
“Since you murdered his gay lover…”
“Yes, but the boat had already been shipped. So, I will do the race – for myself and my team.”
“Can I come?”
“No.” Canna face turned serious. “You can come and enjoy Australia with me, but come December 26, you need to stay onshore with the wives and girlfriends. The race can be dangerous; I can’t take an amateur on board. I wouldn’t risk your safety.”
“You don’t make this sound like a fun honeymoon.”
“It will be,” Canna said as ran her hand through Claudio’s black hair. “We have couple stuff to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like… joining the mile high climb in first class.”
“I’m surprised you’re not a member already.”
“Very funny. And… our first ‘sex in the southern hemisphere’ encounter.”
“I see where this is going.”
“So, in a week or so we should leave for Australia.”
“Perfect idea.”
“But first, you need to go home to London to work and see your baby.”
“I don’t want to leave you behind.”
“Then come to Milan for a few days and see that everything is going to work out. Would that help?”
“Sounds like a formal invite.”
“It is. But then people will find out about us, about our marriage. You would need to tell your family and friends, so they don’t hear about it via Google alerts.”
“I guess so.”
“I don’t want to leave Madrid, I promise you. I love it here with you.”
“I want the whole world to know you are my wife. I don’t care what people say or think anymore. We need to be proud of ourselves. We need to find the real killer of Giorgio.”
“We? Are we becoming crime fighters?”
“You said you would let me into your life. So, if you’re going to get yourself off the hook and nail the real murderer, I want to help. I’m involved in this, too.”
Canna sighed again. “Okay. Let’s go to Milan tomorrow and see what happens. But first, we can knock off a couple ‘first time as a married couple’ things.”
“Suggestions?”
“We need to do ‘first sex act on a table as a married couple’. We need to do ‘first sex in the shower as a married couple’.”
“And ‘first time married that I take you from behind while you’re pressed against a window’,” Claudio added.
“And ‘first time married that I tie your hands above your head and ride you’.”
Claudio kissed her lips, followed by more kisses that trailed down her neck and paused between her breasts. “And one important thing,” he muttered.
“What?” Canna lifted her head to watch him move down the length of her body.
“First time married that you orgasm against my face,” he said, before burying his face between her legs.
Canna balled her hands into fists as she succumbed to the wet delicious torture. “Only if you let me return the favour.”
Claudio didn’t bother to reply as he licked and nibbled between her legs. Canna groaned as he slipped a finger inside her and she heard him chuckle with delight. All she could concentrate on was the intense orgasm that raged through her in no time at all. She orgasmed in eager haste, but he didn’t stop; the sensation continued to pound through her veins until she begged him to let her go.
“When a woman cries stop, she means stop,” she said through laboured breaths.
“I know, but I wanted to give you a double,” Claudio said with a grin, his face still between her thighs.
“You did, but multiple orgasms bring on heart attacks.”
Claudio watched her bare chest rise and fall as she caught her breath again. “Sorry for being so thorough.”
“I forgive you.” Canna sat up, and Claudio joined her. “Now, fair is fair.”
“Meaning?”
Canna pushed him onto his back, spread his legs and licked her lips. “Time to let me give you a double.”
CHAPTER 40
MILAN
Claudio rubbed his toes against the soft white sheets of the bed. It was the most comfortable hotel bed he had ever slept in, no question. Milan’s Principe di Savoia was becoming a regular spot. Now that Canna refused to go into Giuseppe’s apartment, she had nowhere to live but in the suite at the hotel.
He turned his head on the plush pillow and looked at Canna. She stood at the window dressed in her bathrobe. The grey outline of Milan surrounded her serious expression. She looked down at the street, and whatever had caught her eye took her mind far away from her new husband in the bed behind her.
“Catherine.”
Canna turned and looked at Claudio. She was tired, and it had nothing to do with joining the mile high club on the jet from Madrid. It had nothing to do with the late night in the hotel room. Darkness had taken over Canna, and it frightened Claudio. When the night took over Canna’s attitude, someone’s soul got hurt.
“Do you need something?” she asked in a quiet tone.
“I need to know what’s going on inside your head.”
Canna turned back to the window and brought her palms together and rested her hands against her face, as if in prayer. “You and me, we’re not some paper romance.”
“What would you mean?”
“We’re not a couple built on love letters and polite words.”
“No, we’re not.”
“We’re a couple built on a solid foundation of chemistry, trust and understanding.”
Claudio sat up in bed and frowned. “Why all the profound thinking?”
Canna’s hands dropped to her sides as she turned back to face the bed.
“I don’t want to hide our relationship, but at the same time, how am I meant to explain the situation to the outside world? No one is going to understand who we are. All people see is some whore who kills relatives and takes their money.”
“Do you feel the need to explain anything?”
Canna sat down on the bed and fell into Claudio’s embrace. “Everyone knows I’m staying here. They dragged me out of here, covered in my vomit and blood coming from my nose when I got arrested. There are about a dozen people out on the path, all photographers. If we leave this room, I will be expected to explain at least something to them.”
“You may not know what to say until the moment comes. Alternatively, you could say nothing.”
“When I say nothing, words are made up on my behalf. There is no winning.”
“Aren’t you waiting to hear from the lawyer, to hear about being cleared of any suspicion of murder?”
“Silvio said that they have nothing to pin Giorgio’s death on me. It won’t stop the public from drawing conclusions. I feel as if I’ve been backed into a corner of my own life. Besides, part of me likes being in a secret marriage. It’s no one’s business. It’s unspoiled.”
Claudio brought his hand to her chin and lifted her face to look her in the eye. “What do you want me to do about that?”
“Make decisions for me.”
Claudio nodded, his expression sombre. “I can do that.” He looked down at his new wife in his arms, a crestfallen look on her face. “Blinky, we’ve been in Milan for a day and a half and you’re already miserable. Milan is bad for you.”
“You think so?”
Claudio nodded as she looked up at him. “You don’t need this place.”
“I’m stuck here until Giorgio’s whole murder is cleared up.”
“Is there anything I can do to make it better?’
Canna threw him an innocent little smile. “There is something…”
“Yes…”
“But I’ve never asked anyone to do it to me before.”
Claudio’s eyes widened. “Please, I really want to know.”
“Could you… brush my hair for me?”
Claudio sniggered. “Brush your hair?”
“It feels so gentle at the hairdresser’s. As a kid, my mother never did my hair for me. I wasn’t friends with other girls at school. No one plaited my long hair on school sports days.”
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